The Birth of Angels
by A Pale Ghost
Summary: The stars have come... they'll take him home. NejiTen. Oneshot. Angst/Romance. Part 2 of The Birdsong Duet. *Cries silently in a corner*


**N: FOR EXTRA SOB FACTOR, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU READ THIS WHILE LISTENING TO BIRDY'S: NOT ABOUT ANGELS.**

Why? Why am I doing this to myself? The angst- it's never ending! Excuse me while I go weep in a corner. (And attempt to rectify the massive amount of homework I've neglected.)

**D: **Oh, the humanity! I will never own Naruto!

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><p><em>The Birdsong Duet <em>

**The Birth of Angels**

Written By Sound Showers

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><p><em><strong>We know full well there's just time.<strong>_

_**So is it wrong to toss this line?**_

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><p>He lay on the grass, the once green shoots stained and slick with blood. His fingers clawed at the fragile blades, so different from the ones that were taking his life. No, these were soft and gentle, bearing the freshness of spring. Each breath brought him closer to a promising rest. It was only a matter of time, he thought. Only a little while longer... and then he would be free. His vision began blurring, colours mingling together into a mesh of hues and shadows. He was shaking involuntarily, each tremor sending sharp splinters shooting through his chest. A metallic liquid poured from his mouth, and aching lungs begged for reprieve as the same red fluid slowly drowned him from the inside.<p>

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><p><em><strong>If your heart was full of love...<strong>_

_**Would you give it up?**_

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><p>One last breath, one last sigh, and he slipped into tranquil slumber. Lighter, softer, he seemed to float above the battle strewn clearing, closer to the sun that promised warmth. Far below, lavender-hued eyes perceived a vividly dressed blonde, his arms draped comfortingly around the shoulders of a raven-haired woman. He could see his own battered corpse, limp in the grasp of a sobbing, spandex-clad youth.<p>

_Naruto... Hinata... Lee._

Each name conjured memories of happier times, and it pained him to bear witness their suffering. His own footfalls made no sound, and he realized that they could not perceive him standing there, a shining phantom in the dark. Then, a figure in white rushed towards his body, her soft, doe-like features frantic with concern. He let his gaze rest upon the rich mahogany of her unbound hair, brow furrowing in confusion as he tried to figure out the cause of such distress. _What are these tears upon her face? Doesn't she see... that I am free?_

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><p><strong><em>C<em>_'ause what about, what about, angels?_**

_**They will come, they will go, make us special.**_

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><p>Suddenly, he found a name for her face. <em>Tenten, <em>he thought gently, watching as the kunoichi fell to her knees beside Lee, a strangled sob escaping her bloodied lips. Tenten's face, crumpled and white like fallen snow, stared down at his lifeless form which she held in her arms. What he wouldn't give to be there at her side, to wipe the mark of sadness from her face, to tell this courageous young woman he cared.

Her eyes were beginning to sore form the tears that flowed freely, crating salty rivers on her face. Her once ivory shirt was now tainted with blood, though none of it her own. No, Tenten's blood still coursed through her veins, unlike the steady stream seeping from his motionless form. Cold, limp, silent, he lay in her arms. _You're safe now, I have you. No one will hurt you anymore... I've got you... __I've not left. _Tenten's exhausted muscles shook with sobs that wracked her entire frame, the sound of her unrestrained despair slicing his heart like a blade.

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><p><em><strong>Don't give me up.<strong>_

_**Don't give... me up.**_

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><p>Thinking of his determination, his quiet love, his fleeting smiles, the crying subsided. He had always been there, always encouraged her, always kept her safe. Now, there was no one for her to take sanctuary in. <em>You've flown to a place where I cannot follow... left me here without your hand in mine. <em>And the tears began anew. Smiling sadly, she ran bandaged fingers through his hair, caressed the familiar contours of his face, then got lost in his hair once more. _I wonder, is it better there? Where you are? High above the clouds? _She had sat there for hours... or had it only been minutes? Cradling his battered body in her weakening arms only seemed to giver her comfort. Afternoon turned to evening, and evening to night, the vast expanse of sky dwindling into darkening oranges, violets, and reds. Now the sun was sleeping, the moon awakening; a chalky white orb surrounded by flickering halos. For the first time since finding him, she looked to the heavens. Clouds parted, revealing a speckled white blanket that watched over her. _The stars have come... they'll take him home._

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><p><strong><em>H<em>_ow unfair, it's just our love._**

_**Found something real that's out of touch.**_

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><p>The night deepened. Shadows fell upon the clearing, faintly lit by a pastel moon, it's luminescence giving his features an ethereal glow. In that last hour, she murmured many things, head resting over the place his heart had once beat. She didn't see him sitting beside her, a ghostly angel not yet moved on. She didn't feel his radiance, only continued to tell him he was loved and could never be forgotten. At length, her eyes closed and she slept, free from the grief wakefulness caused her. Through it all he stayed, standing silent at Tenten's side, keeping careful watch until dawn.<p>

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><p><em><strong>But if you's searched the whole wide world...<strong>_

_**Would you dare to let it go?**_

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><p>He departed in the wake of morning's faint light, his wings gently lifting him skywards. Below, he could still see her small form, curled like a child. This was not truly goodbye, only the beginning of another chapter. She would not have his hand to hold, nor would she feel the love of his embrace, but he would not be forgotten. In the end, time healed all wounds.<p>

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><p><em><strong>C'ause what about, what about, angels?<strong>_

_**They will come, they will go, make us special.**_

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><p>She did not shed anymore tears. As the sun roused her from the clutches of sleep, she committed his face to memory, pressing her lips against his in a final moment of tenderness. Then she left and did not look back, jaw set and back straight. A new day had come.<p>

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><p><em><strong>Don't give me up.<strong>_

_**Don't give... me up.**_

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><p>Somewhere, an angel was smiling.<p> 


End file.
